The Story of Noah
Science Workshop
Grades K-2

Summary of Lesson Activities:
Children will make "sunprints" to symbolize the story.

Scripture Reference:
Genesis 6-9

Memory Verse: Genesis 9:13

Lesson Objectives:
This story represents our theme, “Come Join the Circle” in different ways. During this class we will emphasize those parts of the story.

• God gave marvelous instructions to Noah to build an ark that would protect Noah, his family, and all kinds of animals from destruction. Noah loved God, and accepted His invitation “Come Join the Circle” of God’s family.
• The rainbow is a sign of God’s promise of love for humankind: God invites us all to “Come Join the Circle” of God’s family. In keeping with this theme, the students will do a rainbow experiment.

Leader Preparation:

• Read the Bible background and scripture.
• Preview the Story of Noah in a Children’s Bible—time how long it will take to read the version you choose.
• Practice the rainbow experiment, and prepare a sample Noah’s Ark “Sunprint”.
• Gather the materials.
  
  

Supplies List:

• A Children’s Bible of your choosing
• Student journals, colors, and colored pencils
• Shallow dish such as a plant pot saucer, filled with 1 inch of water
• Small mirror that fits inside the dish
• Lump of sticky putty or modeling clay
• Sheet of paper
• Low-tack tape
• High intensity lamp or sunlight
• “Super Sunprint Kit”
• Paper or foam cut-outs in the shape of a rainbow, a dove and/or a raven, an olive branch with leaves, an ark, a person. Provide enough cut-outs so each student can choose 1-3 items.
• Flat cardboard pieces, one per student.
• One or more water bottle(s) with spray mist attachment.
• Place for prints to dry. (A hairdryer/fan can help the Sunprints to dry more quickly.)
• Optional: Prism and a high intensity lamp (to substitute for sunlight)
  
  

Lesson Plan

Opening-Welcome and Lesson Introduction:
Greet the children and introduce yourself.

Opening Prayer: Thank you God for your great love for people on earth. Help us to remember your love for us every day, while we study in school, and when we play. And all God’s children said, AMEN!

Dig-Main Content and Reflection:
Say: Today we are going to read a story about Noah, a man who loved God and did what God told him to.

Read the story aloud from a Children’s Bible or a Bible-based version of the story.

Say: During the thousands of years since Noah lived, his story has been told many times to children just like you, and to their moms and dads. What were some of the interesting things in this story? (Noah and his family, the ark, the animals, a raven, an olive branch in the dove’s beak, rainbows!)

When people think about Noah, they remember the animals, the ark, the raven, the olive branch in the dove’s beak, and most of all, they remember the rainbow. Let’s use science and sunlight to create a “Sunprint” of one or two or three of your favorite parts of this story. We’ll use special paper that darkens through chemical changes when the paper is exposed to sunlight. (If it’s a cloudy day, explain that enough light rays come through the clouds to make this science activity work.) The paper under your “Noah Story” object will stay white! When the print is as dark as we want it, we can stop the chemical process by spraying the paper with water.

“The Story of Noah” Sunprint:
Note: This activity will work outdoors on a sunny or an overcast day, or even indoors on a sunny windowsill. The length for exposure is from 1-5 minutes, depending on sunlight. Adult supervision is recommended with this product.

1) Allow each student to choose 1-3 “Noah’s Ark” symbols for their “Sun Print.”
2) Each student can place their “Sunprint” on a piece of cardboard.
3) Carefully place the Noah’s Ark item(s) on the “Sunprint”.
4) Top with an acrylic sheet.
5) Expose to the sun until paper turns almost white, from 1-5 minutes, depending on the light conditions. Do not overexpose.
6) Quickly rinse the “Sunprint” paper with water for about 1 minute and dry flat.

Journal:
Have the shepherd write the memory verse in each student’s journal.

Say: After the flood, Noah and his family witnessed the very first rainbow.
Ask: What message does the rainbow bring to Noah and to all of God’s people? (God loves me/us very much!)

Make a Rainbow!
Say: How many of you have seen a rainbow? What does it look like? What are the colors in a rainbow? (ROYGBIV: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet.)

Say: Wouldn’t it be fun to see a rainbow today? There are many ways to make a rainbow. This is one way we can do it.

Note: Do the following experiment on a bright sunny day. If the day is overcast, use a prism and a high-intensity lamp to create rainbows.

1) Place the dish in a sunny place such as the church entry. Place the mirror in the dish at an angle leaning against one side. Use sticky putty to hold it in place.
2) Fill the dish with water to a depth of about 1 inch so it covers the lower part of the mirror. Then turn the dish until you see the sunlight reflected onto a nearby wall.
3) There will be two patches of light on the wall: an ordinary white reflection from the mirror, and a rainbow reflection that has passed through the water. Attach a sheet of paper to the wall to help see the rainbow more clearly.

Science Explanation:
Say: God made light in waves. Usually we cannot see the waves, but when they shine through tiny water droplets (when it rains) or a prism, the light waves slow down and they bend. These light waves split into colors and form a beautiful rainbow!

Say: God does love us so much! Let’s draw a rainbow, the sign of His love, under the Bible verse in your journals.

Closing:
End with a prayer. Dear God: Today we especially thank you for the sign of the rainbow—the story it tells us of your great love for humankind. Help us to be faithful to you this week and every week! And all God’s children said: AMEN.

Resources:

• “The Story of Noah” Bible background by Pastor Dean E. Larson
• DK Nature Activities Weather Watcher, by John Woodward, ISBN 0-7566-2068-6; p. 42, “Make a Rainbow”
• “SuperSun Print Kit” Lawrence Hall of Science (available at Science Museum stores) ISBN 0-924886-76-5

A lesson written by Kirsten from: Augustana Lutheran Church, St. James, MN